Josh Hamilton credits weight loss to 'the juicing stuff'

3:48 PM, February 13, 2013
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Josh Hamilton of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim speaks during the press conference introducing Hamilton as the team's newest player at ESPN Zone at Downtown Disney on December 15, 2012 in Anaheim, California. / Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

by Ted Berg, USA TODAY Sports

by Ted Berg, USA TODAY Sports

When Josh Hamilton shows up for spring training crediting his slimmed-down figure to "doing the juicing stuff," he's sure to raise eyebrows. But Hamilton, whose well-documented struggles with drugs and alcohol kept him out of baseball for more than three full seasons early in his career, chose a far less controversial "juicing" regimen than some of his colleagues.

While undergoing a fast for his church, Hamilton gave up bread and turned to fruit and vegetable shakes that he believes came from a divine suggestion:

"The Lord kept waking me up in the middle of the night over a month and every time I'd wake up there'd be a doctor on talking about what you put in your body and how it makes you feel," Hamilton told the Orange County Register. "And then the juice lady was on. It was like, Alright, I always pray the Lord will help me feel better. Well, that's all great, but am I doing my part? Now it's time for me to do my part."

So there's that. I've woken up in the wee hours of the morning and watched infomercials countless times, but somehow it has never inspired anything healthier than an extra cup of coffee. But then, I've never endured the rigors of a 162-game big league baseball season and, in fact, never even hit a single major league home run. So who am I to doubt Hamilton's motivation?

Hamilton told reporters that he typically starts the season around 250 pounds and sheds weight as the schedule takes its toll on him. This year, fresh off signing a five-year, $125 million contract with the Angels, he arrived about 20 pounds lighter than normal.

He may be on to something. After starting the 2012 campaign on an offensive tear highlighted by a four-homer game on May 8, Hamilton slumped for much of the season's final four months, posting a pedestrian (by Hamilton's gaudy standards) .245/.322/.487 line after June 1. Hamilton blamed his second-half struggles on the mental and physical repercussions of quitting chewing tobacco, but entering 2013 with a more svelte physique seems apt to provide him more stamina.

And, really, when you're joining a lineup that also features Mike Trout and Albert Pujols, you probably want to put your best foot forward.

Here's hoping for Hamilton's sake his juice diet goes better than Prince Fielder's now-scrapped foray into vegetarianism, which prompted Milwaukee fans to fault his diet for his brief power outage at the beginning of the 2008 season and admonish him to eat more cheeseburgers.